


the flames were everywhere, but no one really cared - it always burned up there before

by nosecoffee



Category: Star Wars Episode VII: The Force Awakens (2015)
Genre: BB-8 IS A CAT, Chewie's Russian, Finn is an ex-gang member, Gangs, Gen, Gun Violence, Gun fights, Han's sick of all this shit, Prohibition, Prohibition AU, Rey's a waitress, the Millenium Falcon is a car
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-01-25
Updated: 2017-01-25
Packaged: 2018-09-19 19:05:33
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,249
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/9456587
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/nosecoffee/pseuds/nosecoffee
Summary: "How do you know we're running?"Han leaned casually on the counter. "Niima Outpost Café went up in flames two hours ago." He gestured around the room, eyes landing on his Russian comrade, a sly look on his face. "Your move."





	

**Author's Note:**

> Title from 'Miami 2017 (I've Seen The Lights Go Out on Broadway)' by Billy Joel/Richard Marx.
> 
> I don't know where this came from, bare with me.

"D'Qar?" Rey cried, pulling herself out from under the automobile. Finn winced.

"Look, I know it's no ideal-" he began, but Rey was already shaking her head, dusting off her skirt as she stood.

"No. I'm not driving you from San Francisco to _D'Qar_. That's an entire state away. You already set fire to my place of employment, I'm not risking being caught out with you, with a mob on your tail." She leaned in, "You're a criminal," Rey hissed.

BB-8 purred from the passenger seat.

Finn folded his arms, "Well, if you won't do it, I'll find someone else who will!" He replied. Rey threw down her spanner.

"Fine!" She exclaimed, throwing her hands up.

"Fine!" He echoed, voice as loud, if not louder, than hers.

"Who's in there?" Called a voice and they both froze. Suddenly, Rey pulled a pistol from the garter belt under her skirt and leaned flat against the back of the car.

"Get behind me, Finn." She whispered, urgently.

"You have a gun?"

"Just get behind me!"

The door to the garage burst open and Finn jumped behind the car.

"Hey, who is - wait, Chewie!" The voice called and a new large presence accompanied the first man. "How the heck did our old ride get here?"

Finn watched Rey slowly slide to the edge of the car, and then accidentally tip a pile of empty soup cans over with her foot.

Immediately, Finn heard two guns cock.

"Come out with your hands up!" The first voice called. Rey glanced back at him, handed him her pistol, and walked out from behind the car.

"It's a dame." Whispered the voice, and a loud gurgle of agreement sounded.

"I'd prefer it if you just arrested me already." He heard Rey say in a disinterested, yet shaky voice.

"Arrest you?" The man chuckled. "No, we're not coppers. Far from it."

"A mob then? Shoot me. It'd be easier than torture. Besides, I ain't got any information, otherwise."

"We're not part of a mob. This is our garage, you know."

Finn hunkered down and opened the pistol chamber.

Only thing was, Finn had never really held a loaded pistol before, and when he opened the chamber, the bullets fell out.

The conversation stopped.

"You alone, missy?" Asked the voice.

Rey snorted, but her hesitance was clear. "Of course I am," she lied. "No one would be stupid enough to come in here, especially accompanied."

A large hand grabbed the collar of Finn's coat, effectively lifting him off the ground. He yelped in surprise and the tall - very tall - man holding him walked around the car, Finn outstretched in front of him. He dropped the gun.

Rey shot him a scared look and Finn zeroed in the other presence in the room.

He was a little taller than Rey, with silver hair, vaguely hidden by a hat, and a pistol. He squinted at Finn, but not in an old-person-way. In a sizing-up way.

"Who the fuck are you?" The man asked, and aimed his pistol at Finn. Finn held his hands up in surrender, hastily.

Rey did the same, but took a frantic step towards the man. "No one! We're no one! We just wanted to park our car-!" He cut her off.

"Your car?" The man laughed. "Kids, this is my car. Dunno where it's been for the past few years, but this is definitely the Falcon."

Rey glanced at the car, hands still raised, eyes wide with awe. "That's the _Millennium Falcon?_ You're _Han Solo?"_

The man lowered his gun. "I used to be." He replied, fitting the pistol back into its holster, beside his heart.

"Han Solo the war hero?" Finn asked, making the man snort and Rey shake her head.

"The smuggler, right?" Han Solo rolled his eyes and gestured to the very tall man holding Finn up to drop him. His knees buckled and Rey rushed to his side.

"Yeah, the smuggler, kid. How'd you find my car?" Han rapped the door with his knuckles.

Rey grasped her upper arm with her right hand. "My boss - owner of Niima Outpost Café, down East Side? Jakku Bay? - it was his. Unkar Plutt?"

Han sneered, and traced a scratch down the side of the silver automobile. "That thieving bastard," he muttered and peaked in the window. BB-8 jumped onto his shoulder, purring. "Who's cat is this."

"Mine," Finn groaned, getting to his knees, "Her name's BB-8."

"That's a dumb name for a cat," Han commented and set her on the ground.

The tall man gurgled in agreement and went to stand beside his shorter counterpart.

He was taller by at least two heads, with short-cropped brown hair and a long beard so scruffy that it almost obscured his mouth. Over his shoulder was a gun so large that Finn flinched looking at it.

"This is Chewie." Han said, gesturing to the tall man.

'Chewie' made a loud gurgling noise that hurt Finn's ears.

Han laughed. "They're not gonna leave, Chewie."

The man scowled and made another gurgling sound.

"Chewie's a-" Finn paused, before powering on, "An unusual name."

"It's Russian." Han responded. "Full name's 'Chewbacca'."

"Is _he_ Russian?" Rey asked, curiously.

"You got a problem with Russian's, missy?" Han replied.

"No, no! Just curious."

"Ya might just kill your friend's cat." Han told her and turned towards the door of the garage. Rey helped Finn to his feet and followed after the older man.

"I've heard stories about you." Rey told him. "You're practically legendary, around here!"

Han snorted. "Practically?"

"You shot down thirty-one gunmen in the San Jose raid!" Rey exclaimed. Han grimaced, looking vaguely offended.

"Thirty-two." He replied.

Finn shot a side glance at Chewie who winked and jerked his chin in the direction Rey and Han were headed. He followed, if only so Rey didn't leave him behind.

The clicking of BB-8's claws against the tiles caught up to him as she rubbed against his leg and strode out in front of him.

"So, who are you two?"

"I'm Rey."

"Just Rey?"

"I'm an orphan."

"Ah. And your friend?"

"Finn."

"Another orphan?"

"I don't know. But I know he's with the Resistance Fighters."

Han turned, halting all progress in the tight, dimly lit, frankly smelly hallway. "You carrying?" He asked.

Finn's eyes widened. What was he supposed to say to that?

"No." He replied. Han sighed, almost in relief.

"Good. Order'd be on you in a heartbeat if you were." Han continued on his way. Rey shot him a look and Finn shrugged, hoping to convey _I don't know._

"Who're you two running from?" Han asked as a doorway came into view. He opened the door as Rey looked back to him.

"Hm?"

"Well, you're definitely not shacking up in a strangers garage for shits and giggles." They reached a shopfront and Han closed the door to the hallway behind them. "You eloping?"

Rey made a small squeaking sound and Finn tripped over a box. "No," he spluttered, feeling blood rush to his cheeks, as he righted himself. "No, nothing like that. How do you know we're running?"

Han leaned casually on the counter. "Niima Outpost Café went up in flames two hours ago." He gestured around the room, eyes landing on his Russian comrade, a sly look on his face. "Your move."

Rey shot Finn a look, almost accusatory, and puffed out her cheeks. "Finn's on a mission from the Resistance Fighters. Him and another man - but he died."

Finn winced - he hadn't told Rey much about Poe, (he didn't know much about him, after all) but even the mention of his existence, however brief in Finn's life, stung, like the universe was telling him that it was his fault.

"In the job description, I'd presume." Han responded, glancing over his shoulder at the window. "Not uncommon in that line of work."

"It's not, but it was still a surprise." Finn admitted, almost painfully at the memory of the burning plane, empty of any sign of Poe, as BB-8 hopped onto the counter and clicked over to Finn's shoulder.

Chewie gurgled something, leaning against the doorframe, and gesturing to them. Han nodded, turning to them. "You still haven't answered my question. I wanna know who you're running from, so that I know whether to throw you out or not."

Finn exhaled, knowing there was no way to hold back the truth for long. "First Order."

Han nodded, sagely. "Chewie, grab 'em."

The tall Russian man had him by the back of the collar and Finn was ready to go quietly when Rey cried, "Wait!"

"What?" Han asked, moving forward. Out of the corner of his eye, Finn saw something moving outside the window.

"Your car?" Rey inquired, as if the return of Han's beloved vehicle made any difference.

Han shrugged, predictably.   
"I'd've probably gotten it back anyway."

Finn squinted at the moving figure in the darkness. When had the street lamps go out? "Uh, Han?"

"What, kid?" The retired smuggler sounded annoyed.

"You expecting customers?" Han glanced at the window and swore.

"Get behind the counter. And don't touch the Rathtars." He said, and Finn frowned as Rey ducked behind the counter.

"You're hauling Rathtars?"

Han shrugged and pulled his pistol out, cocking it. "Don't touch 'em, kid."

He crouched behind the counter and saw Rey's shocked face. "I'm guessing those are the Rathtars," she said, pointing at the humungous guns hung in two consecutive alcoves under the counter.

"You guessed right," and Finn clapped a hand over her mouth as the bell on the door rang.

"Han Solo." Said a heavily accented voice. Finn pressed himself back against the counter, against the Rathtars, and held his breath. There was the muffled noise of a gun being cocked. "We want our money back."

Chewie gurgled and Han made a huff of agreement. "Tasa Leech. I don't remember making a bet with you."

"Three grand and the Rathtars, or is your memory as shoddy as your past?"

"Leave that out of this. And, on that subject, be a dear and leave the premises. Take your cronies with you."

"You promised me and mine Rathtars."

"You think Rathtars are cheap? I spent that money!"

"I hear you owe Kanjiklub, too."

"I never played with Kanjiklub."

"Tell that to Kanjiklub."

Someone entered from the side door with heavy footfalls, and a cocked pistol. They spoke in a language that Finn figured was Chinese, but couldn't be sure.

"Bala-Tik." Han said, and there was an edge now.

The man in the doorway continued to speak.

Tasa Leech cut him off, "You're game is old. Time to give it up."

"Well, I'm old too, and do you see me dropping dead anytime soon?" Han responded and then there was the sound of a gun going off, and the Chinese man in the doorway dropped like a dead weight.

Han and Chewie dropped over the counter and landed in squats, safe from the rain of gunfire that had started up from across the shop.

Han winced, touching his knee carefully. "No," he said, cocking his gun, an empty bullet shell falling out of the chamber. "They don't."

Chewie started shooting over the countertop, and from the sounds of it, he was a very good shot.

Rey ripped away from Finn's hand and struggled onto her knees. Her skirt was streaked with oil and dirt. "Finn give me my gun." She said, as Han fired over the counter with a much larger gun than he'd had before.

"What?" Finn asked, dumbly.

"My gun. The one I gave you in the garage. Give it to me!" She had her hand outstretched. He gulped.

"I dropped it." Finn stated.

"You dropped it?" Rey repeated.

"In the garage."

"In the garage?"

"Yes."

She looked ready to murder him.

Han ducked down. His hat had a nice, round hole in it now. "Don't fret, children." He pulled one of the Rathtars off its hooks and dumped it in Finn's arms, causing him to topple onto his ass with the sudden weight of it.

"H-h-how do I fire it?" Finn stuttered and watched Han register his question.

"What the fuck," he breathed. "Just flick the safety off, cock it, and squeeze the trigger - don't pull it."

"Safety?"

"For fucks sake." Han flicked a switch Finn hadn't even seen and hauled the Rathtars onto the counter. Finn followed it up.

"Oh," Han said as Finn cocked it, "and don't forget to brace yourself."

"Brace myself?" Finn hissed as he squeezed the trigger and went flying backwards into the wall.

There was the sound of glass shattering, and a large thump, and then silence.

And ringing. In his ears.

Well.

Slowly, very slowly, he started to hear someone yelling, "Finn! Finn!"

Someone was shaking him too.

Finn blinked and Rey sighed in relief before hauling him up with an arm around her shoulders.

"C'mon we gotta move." She whispered to him as they stepped over a few bodies, heading over to the side door.

Finn's head lolled and he got a brief glimpse of the damage to the storefront - there wasn't one anymore - just a mess of glass, wood, and blood, now. He didn't spare a thought to it, as they headed into the garage and Rey hauled him into the backseat of the Falcon, slamming the door after her.

Han and Chewie got in the front.  
Chewie was holding BB-8 in his arms.

Han just shook his head at him and started the engine.

**Author's Note:**

> Thank you for reading, I really hope you enjoyed this. If you did, please feel free to leave a comment and/or kudos, and track me down on Tumblr @nose-coffee. Again, thank you!


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